Hope for regional trade as Taveta OSBP opens • 2017-06-20

Kenya and Tanzania officially opened the Holili-Taveta One Stop Border Post (OSBP) on Saturday in efforts to enhance trade facilitation; by speeding up movement of people and goods across the border.

A survey by the African Community (EAC) and Trade Mark Africa (TMA) reveals that time of clearing goods has drastically gone down by 30 per cent, from two to three weeks to about three days—while clearance of pedestrians has been cut from two hours to about five minutes.

The OSBP, a concept that reduces the number of stops incurred in a cross-border trade transaction combines activities of both countries’ border organisations at a single location, with simplified exit and entry procedures and joint processing, where possible, with each border post controlling only the traffic entering the country.

Strenuous customs clearance procedures in which goods are separately inspected by officers on either side of the border—leading to massive delays—is now expected to end.

African Affairs and Labour Cabinet secretary Phyllis Kandie and Tanzanian minister for Foreign Affairs, Africa Regional and International CooperationAugustine Mahiga presided over the joint opening of the OSBP at Holili on the Tanzanian side of the OSBP.

The facility was funded by TMA at a cost of $12 million (Sh1.2 billion). Kandie said non-tariff barriers (NTBs) remain a big challenge, inhibiting trade and regional integration and leading to prolonged clearance procedures. She lauded the opening of the OSBP as one way of reducing the NTBs.

“The official launch of the OSBP demonstrates the commitment by the two countries towards faster integration by fast-tracking the EAC agenda by removing existing non tariff barriers,” she said. Mahiga said efficiency of border clearance will minimise border control procedures through the involvement of all players in cross-border activities.

“We are happy that customs officials from our country and Kenya are now working hand-in-hand. These boundaries were designed by colonialists and are not real. But the establishment of OSBPs in the region signals the willingness of EAC citizens to start trading, worshipping and studying together among other activities,” he added.

From commencement of the Holili-Taveta OSBP, a number of benefits have been noticed, said EAC Secretary General Richard Sezibera. “Some of the benefits are quick clearance of pedestrians and passengers as they are now not stopping in the country of exit; saving of time as travellers are only stopping once for border formality and increased turnaround of commercial traffic as compliant traders are now spending little time at the border,” he said.

Source: Media Max